The Gravity of Love (21 page)

Joe watched his nervous friend from the
passenger seat of the rusty truck. "So...you're sure about this whole
thing?" He said, breaking the silence for the first time in well over a
half hour.

Harrison, who was staring straight ahead of
him, nodded slightly.

"And you do know that though you break
up with this great girl, there's no guarantee that you'll get Molly?"

He nodded again.

"Okay...so then why have we been
parked here for the better part of twenty minutes?"

Harrison looked over at him, wiping sweaty
palms on his jeans. "Because this isn't exactly my favorite past time.
Sure do hate when they cry..."

Joe looked interested. "You know, if
you need backup, I'm right beside you." He said, patting his shoulder.
"Though I won't be on your side. You're a horrible monster and the girl is
innocent and sure she can cry on my shoulder. I'll even take her out to eat
some comfort food and nurse her back to normal."

Harrison rolled his eyes and opened his
door. "Thanks but no thanks, bud. I do this on my own or not at all. But a
very generous offer anyway."

"I just hope you don't use that kind
of sarcastic on the lovely lady. Unless it'll make her cry more...then go right
ahead."

Harrison shut the door and started to walk
towards the back of the school, where Candice would be setting up her equipment
for the cheerleading meeting later on.

"Well...there goes one brave man or
the most foolish one I've ever known." Joe said, sliding over to the
driver's side and heading to his own job.

_______________________________________________________________________

"What? You're...you're..."
Candice's voice was full of exasperation as she stared in shock. "Are you
serious?"

Harrison nodded. "Afraid so. I'm
really sorry, Candice, I am. It just...it wouldn't be fair to you to keep
dragging you along when I know this could only end badly."

"How do you know? What happened? Is
there..." Her eyes widened. "It's another woman, isn't it? You're in
love with someone else!"

He shook his head. "No, it's not that"

"Yes it is! I can see it in your eyes!
You're not really sorry for dumping me you've already moved on to someone
else! Who is it?"

"Candice...it doesn't matter. It has
nothing to do with you. It's all me."

She put her palm against her forehead.
"God, you said those words...we really are over! But I won't take this
stupid dumping! You come at..." She checked her watch. "Five
thirty-two in the morning to the place where I work...in a muddy football field
to say you're ending it! No nice dinner or at least a place I could run away
from you for the day. You have to do it here! Where I must be all day! If I
have to do that, I want to know who I'm being dumped for!"

Harrison swallowed hard. "It doesn't
matter..."

"I'll find out, you know. I will. If
you don't tell me, I'll find a way. It'll only be easier if you tell me up
front."

He squeezed his eyes shut.
"Candice..."

"A name!"

"Molly Radcliffe."

_______________________________________________________________________

Molly was searching desperately for another
piece of white chalk. She was only through writing half of the assignment on
the board when her last one broke in two, making the pieces unusable short
stubbles. Just as she was rejoicing in finding a whole box of chalk, the
classroom door flung open in the wake of a woman with tears running down her
red, puffy face. Candice looked beyond distraught and terrible, making Molly
immediately take pity upon her.

"Oh Lord, Candice what
happened?"

"Your...your...your friend..."
She was having a hard time breathing and spitting out the words. "Broke up
with me!"

The fresh, new piece of chalk fell out of
Molly's hand and broke in three short stubbles on the floor, but it went
unnoticed. "Harry broke up with you? When? Why? I thought everything was
going so well with the two of you!" She said, wrapping her arms around the
sobbing form.

"I thought...thought so too! It was so
out of the blue...I don't know what happened! What did I do wrong? Oh God, I
can't believe I lost him already! Tell me Molly, in all honesty, did he say
anything to you? Did he say where I displeased him?"

Molly wrinkled her nose, her eyes turning
red. "Displease him? Good God Candice, if you have to act like a slave and
wonder where you displeased your master in fear of severe punishment, then you
shouldn't be with him anyway! Harrison is always like that with his girlfriends
I really don't know why anyone dates him not to slant you in anyway, but
really!"

Candice sniffled, patting her nose with a
tissue. "I don't understand it either. He's such a deceiver! He's sweet
and nice and promises you amazing things and then he just gets tired of you and
decides to move on! Anyone who ever agrees to date him is a damn fool! He's not
capable of love!"

The school bell rang, making Candice gasp
and quickly wipe away her tears. "I'm so sorry for burdening you with all
this, Molly! You've been so wonderful to me."

Molly shook her head. "No, you've been
through a lot. I'm really sorry my stupid friend treated you like this. I
apologize for him."

Candice nodded, moving towards the door.
"Thank you, you're so good. But I must wash my face and get fixed up
before classes begin. But Molly...just remember that you're too good for that
man. Don't let him take advantage of you and never be fool enough to date him.
Ever. He'll only rip you to shreds."

Molly nodded watching as Candice left the
room. She turned her back and went to finish writing up the day's lesson in her
fury towards Harrison, never seeing Candice ditch her tissue and put on a
devilish grin.

_______________________________________________________________________

"I am going to Spork you to
death!" Molly screamed angrily, holding a white plastic spork in her hand.
Her eyes looked like they'd match the fires of hell.

"Holy shit!" Harrison yelped in
surprise, scrambling out of his chair to turn and look at her. Joe, who was
seated a few feet nearby in the small principal's office, spun his chair to
face Molly's direction in fascination, as if it was a great movie coming on.

"What the hell are you doing, Molly?
What's your problem now?"

"What's my problem? You broke the
heart of yet another innocent woman who comes crying to me. You're an ass and
you deserve a slow, painful death to learn just how that feels when you break
up with someone like this! What, Candice lost her shine, you lost
interest...you don't care...what the hell is your problem?"

Molly's wrath was unleashed, which was a
dangerous thing. But it was worse when school was in session and a mildly sharp
object was in her possession, pointed straight at his chest. But this escaped
him for a moment. "Candice came to you? What did she say? What
all..."

Joe's eyes widened. Harrison had already
recalled how he was forced to tell Candice the name of his true love. "Did
she say"

Harrison kicked Joe's leg to shut him up.
"What did she say, Molly?"

"She said that no one should ever date
you. That anyone who does is a bloody damn fool. And I agree with her! You hurt
her!"

Harrison flashed Joe a look. At least it
appeared that Molly knew nothing of his secret feelings. "Why did she come
to you? I thought you two hated each other?"

"No, not hate!" Molly argued, the
spork in her hand twisting from the strong grip. "Only...misunderstood!
And if you paid a little more attention, you would know that Candice has
constantly been coming to me when something went right or wrong with the two of
you. She really thought that you two had something special. She had diamonds in
her eyes when she talked of you."

"Diamonds, huh? As in diamond rings?
She knew we weren't that serious I told her I wouldn't get married."

Molly shook her head, approaching closer.
"Then why the hell do you fool around with these girls' heads? It's evil
and downright mean! You lavish them with attention, get bored and break it off,
knowing the whole time you're deceiving them and you won't persue them. I can't
stand to see you do this over and over again. I won't stand for this. And yes,
I

do have a say in your relationship business
because I'm freaking apart of it! All your girlfriends, when they're
heartbroken don't cry to their friends or you or their family they come
crying to me! Well I won't stand for this again! I won't do it, Harrison
Redford!"

Harrison put up his hands, walking towards
her. "I understand. And I'm really really sorry I've put you through this.
I won't do this again."

But she just shook her head. "I
believed you. The first ten times you told me that." She said with tears
brimming. She stabbed the spork in to the breast pocket of his jacket, then
spun around and hurried out the door.

_______________________________________________________________________

Molly tapped the end of her pen on the desk
in rhytmic motion and in time with the second hand on the clock. She was conscious
of Marty staring at her from the seat in the corner a few feet away and knew
Harrison was lingering around the doorway, awaiting until she got annoyed
enough to let him in and pay attention to him. Unfortunate for him, she had a
large stack of tests that were overdue for grading.

She finished one test, laying it on the
done pile and started on another, tapping her red pen up and down.

Harrison approached. She didn't look up.

"Aren't you eating today?" She
heard Marty say, chomping on her own sandwich as she sat in her corner seat.

Harrison half shrugged. "Not too
hungry lately." Was his reply, his arms crossing tightly over his chest.

Suddenly there was a high pitch musical
noise that filled the room. It took a moment for Molly to realize it was her
cell phone. But by the time she went to reach for it, Harrison had snatched it
up and looked at the little window.

"A phone call from the folks? I didn't
know you heard from them much anymore." He said with a raised eyebrow. Did
he know how sexy he looked when he did that? Of course he did this was
egotistical Harrison she was staring coldly at.

"Did me my phone, Harry."

But he just smirked as he slowly took the
collar of his shirt and made the neckhole a little wider. As if in slow motion,
she watched helplessly as he slipped her phone in to his shirt. "Not until
you talk to me. I'm sick of your cold shoulder and I intend for it to stop no
matter what it takes."

"When hell freezes over." She
growled, staring at the little lump that had formed right above his belt.

He gave a dramatic shrug. "Your
parents are going to be awfully concerned when you don't answer their phone
calls anymore. If I'm correct, you just changed your home phone number a little
while ago "

"I can call them back." She said
simply, lifting her stubborn chin higher.

He shrugged. "Fine, call them back on
your home phone. But it's going to take a chunk out of your savings money when
you have to get a new phone and a new service and"

"Isn't this harassment at work?"
She asked Marty, who watched in as much interest as Joe always did.

"Mm...dunno. Best to just keep
fighting it out, seeing that he's the only person you can really complain
harassment too without your phone."

A low growl sounded from deep in Molly's
throat as her gaze returned to Harrison's. "I'm talking. See? Talking. Now
give me back my phone. Now!"

The phone stopped ringing, making her eyes
burn in fire with fury.

"What if I said you have to go out to
eat with me for me to give it back?"

She stood up, her chair screeching backwards
as the musical tone started again. "What if I said I don't mind coming
over there and attacking your ass?"

His right eyebrow arched again. "I'd
say that sounded like a come on. A sexy one too, at that."

She looked back at Marty, pointing at
Harrison. "Now that is sexual harassment! You better be recording this or
something!"

But Marty just shrugged. "I don't have
a very good memory these days, you know."

Molly fumed. "Harrison, take me phone
out of your damn shirt right now!" She shouted, right as Candice was
walking past the doorway. She looked in with mild interest, then it turned to
hurt as she hurried away. Harrison caught this as well and stopped the games.
Unbuttoning the bottom of his shirt, revealing tanned skin over tight abs, he
retrieved her phone that continued to ring and handed it over.

Molly made a gagging look, then answered
it. "Hello?"

"Molly dear, what took you so long? Am
I interrupting anything? I have such a tight schedule that I wasn't sure if I
was interrupting but I have little time for personal phone calls."

"No Mother, it's a fine time."
She sighed.

"Great, because Elizabeth and I were
wondering if you and Harrison would come home this Christmas. Everything is
already set up. I'll be working until Christmas Morning but I thought you could
come and be with the Redfords' for a while. And your father misses you so much.
I believe Aiden wants to see his big brother as well. I think he must be
jealous by now that you get all his attention."

Molly snorted as she looked up at Harrison.
"Yeah, that's definitely worth being jealous over." She said
sarcastically, but her mother didn't hear. Instead, she went on more about
plans for Christmas, leaving no outs or a way for her to say no.

"So? When can we expect your
arrival?"

Not her arrival. Not in the single tense.
Plural. As in she and Harrison the one man she most despised...and a little
something else she still wasn't sure of yet. And she had to agree to fly from
Nevada to Vermont with him, spend Christmas with him, and stay in their
childhood homes for what would surely be at least two or three weeks.
"Gosh Mother, I don't know. I mean, I don't even know how long I can stay.
The holidays only last about a week and a half after Christmas "

"Oh hush. You know Harrison can find a
replacement for a few days."

She gritted her teeth. "It's not that
simple, Mother." She let out the fact that it wasn't so simple because he
had dated half of the teachers that were able to substitute and now they all
hated his guts. But that would be digressing and that wasn't safe when she was
talking to someone like her mother. Not to mention, saying anything against
this

Christmas vacation was quite fruitless.

"But if he is capable, we'll both be
there. When must we?"

"Christmas is in five days, Molly. Why
don't you come in three?"

Her hand trembled with the phone. Three
days? She'd be in Vermont in three days? Yes, she dearly loved her home and she
hadn't been to her old home in two years, but Christmas had terrible timing. In
three days she'd be bombarded with sly looks, wink winks and nudges. Flat out
questions asking if she and Harrison hooked up yet, or at least fooled around.
The two families, the entire two families that included uncles, aunts, cousins
and the works, have been at it their entire lives. When were Molly and
Harrison, who'd make the cutest couple, finally surrender and get together? Any
other time, the two would make the most of it. Laugh it off or even play along.
But this year it guaranteed hell on

Vermont's green earth. Yet what could she
do against two stubborn mothers and an ailing father and brother? They'd have
to go. And if one went, the other better go with or it would be all they heard
about. She, for one, wouldn't be the bad child who ignored her family.

"Okay Ma, three days."

"Great, see you then!" And with
that, the line went dead.

Molly dropped the phone from her hand and
it dropped like dead weight. She gulped, looking up at Harrison.

"You should have kept the phone in
your shirt." She whimpered in misery.

He nodded, already knowing what had gone
on. "I told ya. But the real question is this do you want me to find you
a sub or not?"

_______________________________________________________________________

Molly sat crosslegged on her bed, biting
her thumb nail a habit she had long given up until tonight. She looked
worriedly around at the opened suitcases, knowing they needed to be packed,
knowing she needed to go with Harrison in two days. She dreaded it more than
she wanted to admit. No, on second thought, it wasn't dread she didn't want to
admit. She embraced that willingly. It was the fact that her anger wasn't the
only reason for it. Perhaps her anger was only a farce? A humorous joke that
covered for what she really was scared of.

Could Marty be right? She always did have a
tendency to bury her emotions so that she didn't have to deal with them. Get
hurt from them. Is that what she had done here? It was undeniable that she had
a hard crush on him in her past. All through her teen years, she didn't date
because she couldn't find any one that was better than him. That could even
compare. In her twenties she experienced the hell of having him risk his life
day and night, far far away from her. She was too focused on him to notice any
man that crossed her path but her father, who was ailing. When he came back,
she was too joyous to care about another man. When she came to live here, she
was busy adjusting, which meant spending more time with the man who held her
affections for so long. But she had thought it all stopped. Hadn't going out
with Ephram proven that she was over Harrison for good now? Perhaps not. It
could easily be one of those situations where she had decided to ignore all
those feelings, shove them down in to the black, where ever she couldn't feel
them, and forgot about them. But feelings that were left to be dealt with later
always came back up at some time.

Candice's warnings came back to her. Molly
had to acknowledge the truth in her words. Harrison did only use women. He
didn't take them seriously, never love them. And never sticks with just one.
Only a fool would carry this knowledge and still want him. The question was,
was she a fool?

No. Molly had been many things in her life,
but a fool she was very determined not to be. And if that meant not being with
Harrison, having to face the feelings and move on through the pain that they
cause, then so be it.

Yet that still didn't solve how she'd get
through these next few weeks with him. A living hell, it would surely be. What
a wonderful time to go to her childhood home for the first time since she moved
out two years ago. This would be the first time to revisit, seeing her friends
and family. A trip in to the past. It would be an interesting journey, to say
the least.

_______________________________________________________________________

"So what's your plan for surviving
this?" Marty asked in great interest as she helped to carry the five
suitcases lined up at the door.

Molly shrugged. "We'll see as I go, I
suppose. I'm determined to make the best of this, even if I am still angry at
Harrison and know that our families shall torture me. It's

Christmas time after all. It can't be all
bad."

"You keep telling yourself that."
Marty laughed.

Once they reached the porch with the five
cases, they saw Joe had come to see the two off, helping Harrison load the back
of the truck.

"Are you sure you want to take Jake
with you? Marty and I can take care of him while you and Molls are gone."
Joe offered as he watched the old mutt circle happily around his legs.

"Oh please and risk the pup's life?
What if Marty gets a new crush? She'll be all ga ga about him and the thought
of a poor, innocent, starving dog will never cross her mind. And you...well I
don't trust any living thing with you at any time."

Joe's jaw fell open. "You allowed me
to drive Molly places dozens of times!"

"Yeah well, if she wants to be stupid
and risk her life, I cannot help that. But this pup here is my responsibility
and my life. Now, remember to take care of the list I gave you. I gave a copy
to Marty in case you forget, which means Marty will probably be the one who
does all of it. But whatever." Harrison rambled, opening the back of the
pickup for Jake to jump in to, among the suitcases and such.

Molly and Marty set their bags at the back
of the truck, busying themselves with packing them around the dog, avoiding eye
contact with its master.

Molly heard some kind of grumble coming
from Harrison, who was leaning against the truck, watching her every move. When
she finally shut the back and said goodbye to Marty, seemingly taking a while,
Harrison started getting louder.

"My God Radcliffe, are you ready
yet?"

Molly winked at Marty, saying a last
goodbye to both she and Joe, then climbed in to the beat up truck. Harrison
started up the engine and pulled out of the drive way.

"And...we're off. Gone. For
weeks." Harrison said softly, side glancing over at her to see her
reaction.

Molly had to hold herself back from
slamming her head against the dash board a few times.

_______________________________________________________________________

"Hey, you alright Slapjack? You look a
little green still, though I don't see how you could possibly have anything
left in that stomach of yours."

Molly swayed, putting her palms against the
airport wall. She had managed to only throw up three times during their five
hour flight, running back and forth to the bathroom, but she still felt like
running for it again. At least after nearly upchucking on Harrison, all his stupid
jokes had stopped and he took it more seriously, with just a touch of sympathy.
Which was saying a lot for the man.

He handed her a bottle of water and she
quickly swallowed more pills in hopes of being able to drive a half hour from
here to home.

For someone who had a hate of airports,
Harrison was at least appearing quite calm, despite the fact that he was
jingling the new keys in his pocket that belonged to the car he had rented
while she took a run to the bathroom.